Editorials

Another blow to ecology

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-12 08:16

Editor's note: In face of atrocious weather, local governments should reflect upon their roles in ecological wound.

Building a golf course in a place facing serious water shortages and soil erosion is rubbing salt into an ecological wound. It can also be criminal to do so in a place where the central government has invested a lot of money on plants to reverse ecological degradation.

But that is exactly what is happening in Dongsheng district of Erdos in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. In the past 11 years, the central government has invested millions of yuan in planting sea buckthorn trees, which have proven effective against soil erosion and in conserving underground water. Efforts by local residents and scientists have also made much progress to reverse water shortages and soil erosion.

Now a local company has built a practice course for golf in the area without permission from authorities. The course was using 5 million tons of water a year and all the sea buckthorn plants will die if the water needed is drawn from underground.

The local government has ordered the company to demolish the course and pay fines for its wrongdoing. But things cannot be so simple. The central government should investigate if there is any corruption behind the project. Those local officials involved should be dealt with according to the law.

Similar offences and violations happen all the time simply because violators can always benefit from their illegal projects by paying fines that are only a fraction of the profits they get.

In this case, the relevant government department needs to ensure that the golf course is reverted back to a sea buckthorn forest - and that the company is made to pay for its act.

(China Daily 04/12/2010 page9)